RIAA Updates Policy Due to Jay-Z’s ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ Album

It looks like Jay-Z‘s “new rules” strategy is going to pay off. The Recording Industry of America (RIAA) has revised their rules for awarding gold and platinum certification just in time for Hov’s release of ‘Magna Carter Holy Grail.’

As we previously reported, Billboard wouldn’t count the sales of Jay-Z’s album via the digital Samsung Galaxy app because they were already pre-sold and listeners would be getting them for free.

In an “open letter,” the RIAA praised Jay-Z for his “novel and creative marketing move” and decided to change their rules on physical albums becoming eligible for certification 30 days after its release date.

Since ‘Magna Carta’ is going to be released digitally, it would be eligible for a platinum plaque on the day of its release (July 4). This new certification rule will apply to digital releases only.

“The reality is that how fans consume music is changing, the music business is changing as labels and artist partner with a breathtaking array of new technology services, and the industry’s premier award recognizing artists’ commercial achievement should similarly keep pace,” reads the RIAA statement.

So when Jay-Z tweeted out the question a few weeks ago, “If 1 Million records gets SOLD and billboard doesn’t report it, did it happen?” — the answer, at least to the RIAA, is “Yes!”

Jay-Z’s new album, ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail,’ will be available for download by Samsung Galaxy users on July 4 and the rest of the world on July 8.

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